My Festival Chasing Adventure Begins
So yeah folks, grabbed my backpack stuffed with notebooks and charged my phone like crazy ’cause this trip? No maps apps allowed. Old school or bust. Started waking up at stupid o’clock – like 4 AM stuff. Trains, buses, sometimes hitched rides with locals pulling trailers filled with weird wooden things. Felt like a squirrel collecting nuts.
First Stop: Coastal Town Mud Bash
Right off the bat, smelled the salt water mixing with… cooked sheep? Weird combo. Place looked half-deserted ’til I hit the harbor. Boom! Suddenly people everywhere throwing clay. Not even joking. Slip-sliding in brown gunk up to my knees. Scratched notes on a soggy napkin:
- Slippery clay worse than banana peel race
- Ladies in giant straw hats shouting sea shanties (off-key)
- Guy tried making me “honorary mud monster” – ran away
Bought some fish fried in dough. Crunchy. Greasy. Left happy.
Next Up: Mountain Village Fire Frenzy
Thought coastal place was wild? Ha! Drove up winding roads feeling my stomach flip. Took three buses and still had to walk. Legs hated me. Village perched on rocks, looks ready to slide off. Night fell. Then – whoosh! Torches everywhere, people running like mad ants holding FIRE. My camera almost cried.
- Fire jumpers cleared stacks taller than me (almost dropped jaw)
- Ancient guy banged drum so hard my chest vibrated
- Teenagers danced circles until boots smoked
Ate goat stew. Smoky taste stuck in teeth till next week.
The “Quaint” Valley Dance Disaster
Read online “gentle folk dancing.” Lies. Place was packed tighter than canned sardines. Fake flowers everywhere itchy. Local band used cowbells. Non-stop. Thought my brain would rattle out my ears.
- Tried escaping crowd – got stuck between grannies knitting
- Lady forced flower crown on me (photos were awful)
- Rain poured. Mud round two. Not fun this time.
Left early smelling like wet wool and regret. Ate cold bread roll.
Real Deal Stuff Found in Weirdest Spots
Okay truth bomb: biggest moments weren’t on any schedule. Found them sneaking around corners:
- Kids secretly teaching each other torch spins behind barn
- Fisherman carving tiny boats from driftwood while waiting
- Grandmas arguing over correct muddy footprint patterns – hilarious
My best notes? Got scribbled squatting on curbs or hiding from cowbells.
What Stuck With Me
Survived rainstorms, near mud burials, and flower crown attacks. Worth every blister. Learned:
- Follow the noise AND the quiet corners
- Real traditions live in arguments and kid’s secret practice spots
- Pack extra socks (trust me)
- Never trust “gentle folk dance” posters
Totally doing this again next year. Just bringing better rain gear.
